I purchased an older Magnafire Elite insert off craigslist recently and have had it up and running for a few weeks now. I've got a magnetic thermometer on the side of the stove(about center where fire is hottest) and to maintain 400 degrees there I keep the draft control 2 to 2-1/4 turns open. Other posters on average have said 3/4 to 1-1/2 max for these stoves.

It throws decent heat but i'm pretty confident a lot is going right up the chimney. When i fire it up I can watch the flames being sucked over the baffle plate on the top of the stove, with pretty good velocity...

I'm burning an even mix of stove & nut with a little bit of egg. I've been wondering if the larger coal could be having an effect on heat loss? Possibly allowing air to flow too freely through the bed and out the chimney, thus requiring more air/hotter fire to heat the stove itself??? I have no idea. My father in law runs a harman SF-250 and uses the same mix with great success. He also has a damper on the flue which doesn't appear to be an option for my insert.

Any thoughts/experience on maximizing output with this stove? There is virtually no information to be had on these older elites(other than what i've found on the forum) so any and all input is appreciated.

Other notes:-I have the access hole block off plate installed in the back of the stove.-I have 6'+/- of oval flex installed through the fireplace damper and sealed-I have the wings sealed to the stone-I'm burning 60-80 lbs a day.-The stove is undersized to heat the whole house so I basically want to run it wide open to take as much load off the oil boiler as possible. It's a new house and I'm trying to limp through this year on the insert and look for another setup by next winter(i.e. not oil).

There was no blower when i bought it but i set it back up with a factory 135cfm which is now running 24/7. My pic isn't the best but it's mounted on the lower right next to the ash door. That really helps draw out and distribute the available heat.

...it also took 3 new grates and a 1 ton jack and torch to get the warped baffle plate back in place! Previous owner must have neglected the ashpan...

serdman wrote:I purchased an older Magnafire Elite insert off craigslist recently and have had it up and running for a few weeks now. I've got a magnetic thermometer on the side of the stove(about center where fire is hottest) and to maintain 400 degrees there I keep the draft control 2 to 2-1/4 turns open. Other posters on average have said 3/4 to 1-1/2 max for these stoves.

It throws decent heat but i'm pretty confident a lot is going right up the chimney. When i fire it up I can watch the flames being sucked over the baffle plate on the top of the stove, with pretty good velocity...

I'm burning an even mix of stove & nut with a little bit of egg. I've been wondering if the larger coal could be having an effect on heat loss? Possibly allowing air to flow too freely through the bed and out the chimney, thus requiring more air/hotter fire to heat the stove itself??? I have no idea. My father in law runs a harman SF-250 and uses the same mix with great success. He also has a damper on the flue which doesn't appear to be an option for my insert.

Any thoughts/experience on maximizing output with this stove? There is virtually no information to be had on these older elites(other than what i've found on the forum) so any and all input is appreciated.

Other notes:-I have the access hole block off plate installed in the back of the stove.-I have 6'+/- of oval flex installed through the fireplace damper and sealed-I have the wings sealed to the stone-I'm burning 60-80 lbs a day.-The stove is undersized to heat the whole house so I basically want to run it wide open to take as much load off the oil boiler as possible. It's a new house and I'm trying to limp through this year on the insert and look for another setup by next winter(i.e. not oil).

serdman wrote:I purchased an older Magnafire Elite insert off craigslist recently and have had it up and running for a few weeks now. I've got a magnetic thermometer on the side of the stove(about center where fire is hottest) and to maintain 400 degrees there I keep the draft control 2 to 2-1/4 turns open. Other posters on average have said 3/4 to 1-1/2 max for these stoves. Thanks,se

About those magnetic thermometers, I have never found them to be very accurate. I use one but never look at the numbers, just the needle position for a quick reference. I use a Dewalt infrared thermometer for actual numbers. There are cheaper ones available, just check the accuracy by measuring something with a known temp. For instance an open pot of boiling water will be 212F/100C. I have an older mercury thermometer outside, the infrared always agrees with it. You could also get those Temperature Sticks that a welder uses to determine temp and then verify your infrared thermometer. With the infrared thermometer it is easy to check any part of the stove, stack temp before and after the MPD, etc. It is also easy to check your house temp on the floors, shoulder level, etc. Makes it easy to see the bottlenecks or cold spots and figure how to get more even heat flow throughout the house.

serdman wrote:It throws decent heat but i'm pretty confident a lot is going right up the chimney. When i fire it up I can watch the flames being sucked over the baffle plate on the top of the stove, with pretty good velocity...

There's no guessing when it comes to draft. Its like trying to find a black cat in the dark. I always advise anyone with a coal burning appliance to install a manometer. The Dwyer Mark II Model 25 is perfect for our application, cheap, easy to install and reliable.. Then you will know if your draft is too heavy

Elite insert is Harman Mark II with angled top outlet, retrofitted to fireplace. near identical BTU's, same shaker, draft control design. both discontinued now by Harman. their insert now is wood only. I dont think its too much draft, burning it hard trying to get heat, lost to fireplace walls.